Dr Kate Hutson's research examines aquatic animal parasitology issues that threaten wild, farmed and ornamental fishes. Her research integrates parasite species discovery and biology (taxonomy, life cycles, ecology and behaviour) with practical, applied research (risk-assessment, disease diagnosis, management and treatment) designed to deliver tangible outcomes for fisheries, aquaculture industry and biosecurity management. This combination of pure and applied research has led to the development of unique and strong partnerships between industry, government agencies and other tertiary institutions.   

Kate graduated with a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne and a PhD in Marine Parasitology from the University of Adelaide. She led the Marine Parasitology Laboratory at James Cook University from 2010 to 2019 and completed three Honours, four Masters and four PhD students as primary advisor. Kate coordinated the undergraduate Aquaculture and Technology Major and in 2015 won a National Teaching Award for her contribution to undergraduate and postgraduate classes in aquaculture.

In 2019 Kate moved to the Cawthron Institute, in Nelson, New Zealand where she works as a Senior Scientist in Aquatic Health. Kate has maintained a close working relationship with JCU as Adjunct Associate Professor and currently supervises three PhD students (based in Townsville) and one MSc Phil student (based at Cawthron). 

 

Experience

• 2019 to present - Senior Scientist, Cawthron Institute (Nelson, New Zealand)
• 2019 to present - Adjunct Associate Professor, James Cook University (Townsville, Queensland)
• 2013 to 2019 - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Townsville, Queensland)
• 2010 to 2012 - Lecturer, James Cook University (Townsville, Queensland)
• 2007 to 2009 - Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Adelaide (Adelaide, South Australia)
• 2002 to 2003 - Research Assistant, University of Technology Sydney (Gore Hill, New South Wales)

Research Disciplines

• Fisheries Sciences (0704)
• Zoology (0608)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Fisheries - Aquaculture (8301)
• Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species (9604)

Awards

• 2016 - People's choice award: Reperio - Innovation and Commercialisation Pitch
• 2015 - National Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
• 2015 - Young Tall Poppy Science Award, Australian Institute of Policy & Science and the Tall Poppy Campaign
• 2015 - James Cook University Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
• 2013 - My Research in 3 minutes, People’s Choice Award, James Cook University
• 2013 - My Research in 3 minutes, Early Career Researcher Award, James Cook University
• 2013 - High Commendation, Early Career Researcher Supervisor of the Year, James Cook University
• 2009 - Early Career Researcher Award for the most meritorious scientific paper at the Australian Society for Parasitology and ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology Annual Conference, The University of Sydney, New South Wales

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Barton J, Bourne D, Humphrey C and Hutson K (in press) Parasites and coral-associated invertebrates that impact coral health. Reviews in Aquaculture, , DOI:10.1111/raq.12434.
• Barton J, Humphrey C, Bourne D and Hutson K (2020) Biological controls to manage Acropora-eating flatworms in coral aquaculture. Aquaculture Environment Interactions, 12, pp. 61-66, DOI:10.3354/aei00347.
• Barton J, Hutson K, Bourne D, Humphrey C, Dybala C and Rawlinson K (2019) The life cycle of the Acropora coral-eating flatworm (AEFW), Prosthiostomum acroporae; the influence of temperature and management guidelines. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, Article: 524, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2019.00524.
• Gomes G, Hutson K, Domingos J, Infante Villamil S, Huerlimann R, Miller T and Jerry D (2019) Parasitic protozoan interactions with bacterial microbiome in a tropical fish farm. Aquaculture, 502, pp. 196-201, DOI:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.12.037.
• Hutson K, Vaughan D and Blair D (2019) First record of a 'fish' blood fluke (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) from a marine mammal: Cardicola dhangali n. sp. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 10, pp. 23-28, DOI:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.06.009.
• Trasvina-Moreno A, Ascencio F, Angulo C, Hutson K, Aviles-Quevedo A, Inohuye-Rivera R and Perez-Urbiola J (2019) Plant extracts as a natural treatment against the fish ectoparasite Neobenedenia sp. (Monogenea: Capsalidae). Journal of Helminthology, 93 (1), pp. 57-65, DOI:10.1017/S0022149X17001122.
• Trujillo-González A, Edmunds R, Becker J and Hutson K (2019) Parasite detection in the ornamental fish trade using environmental DNA. Scientific Reports, 9, Article: 5173, DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-41517-2.
• Wilson J, Saunders R and Hutson K (2019) Parasites of the invasive tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus: evidence for co-introduction. Aquatic Invasions, 14 (2), pp. 332-349, DOI:10.3391/ai.2019. 14.2.11.
• Xu T, Zeng C and Hutson K (2019) Morphological descriptions of the larval and first juvenile stages of the decorator crab Camposcia retusa (Latreille, 1829) from laboratory-reared material. Zootaxa, 4577 (2), pp. 295-315, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.4577.2.4.
• Brazenor A, Bertozzi T, Miller T, Whittington I and Hutson K (2018) DNA profiling reveals Neobenedenia girellae as the primary culprit in global fisheries and aquaculture. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 129, pp. 130-137, DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.05.012.
• Brazenor A, Saunders R, Miller T and Hutson K (2018) Morphological variation in the cosmopolitan fish parasite Neobenedenia girellae (Capsalidae: Monogenea). International Journal for Parasitology, 48 (2), pp. 125-134, DOI:10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.07.009.
• Hutson K, Cable J, Grutter A, Paziewska-Harris A and Barber I (2018) Aquatic parasite cultures and their applications. Trends in Parasitology, 34 (12), pp. 1082-1096, DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2018.09.007.

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 44+ research outputs authored by Dr Kate Hutson from 2005 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Pathogenic bacteria associated with skin lesions in chinook salmon aquaculture. (Masters , Primary Advisor)
• Mitigating the impact of the Acropora-eating flatworm, Prosthiostomum acroporae on captive Acropora coral colonies (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Cleaner fish as a vector of parasites and influence of habitat degradation on cleaning symbiosis (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Developing captive breeding techniques for two marine ornamental crabs: The Decorator crab Camposcia retusa and the Harlequin crab Lissocarcinus laevis (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The impact of habitat condition on parasitism of herbivorous coral reef fishes (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Ecology and detection of harmful freshwater fish ciliate parasites Chilodonella spp. in aquaculture (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The biology of the cosmopolitan fish parasite Neobenedenia girellae (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Cleaner shrimp as biocontrols in aquaculture (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of Cirolanidae (Crustacea: Isopoda) of Indonesia and adjacent waters (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Behaviour, histopathology and immunobiology: interactions between the ectoparasite Neobenedenia (Monogenea: Capsalidae) and its host, Lates calcarifer (Perciformes: Latidae) (2015, Masters , Primary Advisor)
• Parasite threats from the ornamental fish trade (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor)

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit the JCU Research Data Catalogue.

• Barton, J. (2020) Efficacy of chemical treatments for Acropora-eating flatworm infestations. James Cook University
• Barton, J. (2020) Data from: Biological controls to manage Acropora-eating flatworms in coral aquaculture. James Cook University
• Skilton, D. (2019) Parasite attractants: identifying trap baits for parasite management in aquaculture. James Cook University
• Barton, J. (2019) Data from: The life cycle of the Acropora coral-eating flatworm (AEFW), Prosthiostomum acroporae. James Cook University
• Hutson, K. (2019) Z-stack videos files for: First record of a ‘fish’ blood fluke (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) from a marine mammal: Cardicola dhangali n. sp.. James Cook University
• Trujillo Gonzalez, A. (2018) Can environmental DNA be used to reliably detect parasites in the aquarium fish trade?. James Cook University
• Trujillo Gonzalez, A. (2018) Monogenean parasites infect ornamental fish imported to Australia. James Cook University
• Trujillo Gonzalez, A. (2018) Parasite detection in the ornamental fish trade using environmental DNA. James Cook University
• Trujillo Gonzalez, A. (2018) Australia’s aquarium fish identity crisis: scope, implications, and the way forward. James Cook University
• Vaughan, D. (2018) Data for PhD thesis Chapter 5: Cleaner shrimp remove parasite eggs on fish cages. James Cook University

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.